


we're not getting a dog

by bi_lovely



Series: we're not getting a dog [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Cute, Dogs, F/M, Fluff, For the most part, M/M, Mentions of PTSD, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, This was supposed to be all fluff, but then angst happened, civil war spoilers, dogs are awesome, everyone gets along, mentions of anxiety attacks, part of a series, post civil-war, the rest of the avengers are there too but only briefly, tony has forgiven bucky, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-10 09:39:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6951175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bi_lovely/pseuds/bi_lovely
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Shut up,” Steve huffed. “He’s improved so much, he’s come so far.”</p><p>“I’m not saying that he hasn’t,” Tony said. “Clearly he has. But a dog could help him considerably, especially if he’s practically pining for one. They’re amazing creatures, dogs. You’d be surprised what one could do for someone who’s suffered as much as Bucky has."</p><p>***</p><p>Bucky wants a dog more than anything else and Steve refuses to get one (no matter how many people tell him he ought to get Bucky a dog).</p>
            </blockquote>





	we're not getting a dog

It all started when Natasha and Clint had to go away on some private mission in Europe. They'd been married for nearly a year, and when they'd gotten married they had adopted a dog.

A golden retriever with a thick coat and sweet brown eyes who instantly took to chasing Clint around the yard when he was trying to do the gardening and cuddling with Natasha on the couch in the morning while she drank her coffee. She slept across their legs at night and was always waiting by the door when they came home.

They called her Hope, and she was the apple of their eyes. So when they had to go away to Europe for over a week, they were determined to find someone who would care for her perfectly.

Tony obviously wouldn't do, he was too brash. They highly doubted something would happen that would cause Bruce to turn into the "other guy" while looking after Hope, but they didn't want to take any chances. Thor....no — just plainly no. They hadn't known Wanda, Scott, or T'Challa long enough to entrust them with their baby. Which only left them with one option; everyone's favorite gay, World War II, super soldier couple.

"I don't know," Steve sighed when they asked them. "Neither of us have ever had a dog before."

"But we've always wanted one!" Bucky said quickly.

"Actually,  _ you've _ always wanted one," Steve corrected.

"Whatever," Bucky shook his head. "We'd love to watch her! Right, Steve? Please!"

Steve sighed again. As much as he didn't want to be responsible for a dog for a week and a half — especially this dog because if anything bad happened to her Natasha and Clint may actually murder him — he never was very good at saying no to Bucky. Especially not when he was looking at him with those eyes and that adorable pout that belonged on a four year old, not a century old super soldier with a metal arm.

"Oh..." Steve huffed. "Very well!"

"Yes!" Bucky exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

"Great!" Clint said.

"Just remember," Natasha said and she looked Bucky dead in the eyes, and if looks could kill Bucky would've dropped to the floor then and there. "If we come back and find that something or someone has hurt so much as a hair on our dog, you're dead."

"Okay, Nat," Clint said, patting her shoulder. "Let's not be too dramatic, yeah?" He chuckled, then looked to Bucky. "She's not lying, though."

Bucky gulped and nodded. "Understood."

A few days later, Natasha and Clint arrived with not only the dog, but also with a bucket of dog food, toys and bones, special bowls for food and water, her bed and her blanket, a harness for walks, and so on.

"She gets fed two times a day," Clint said. "Once when you get up in the morning, and then again when you eat dinner. She likes to sleep in the bed with us, but put her bed and blanket out in the living room so she can take naps there when she wants to. Walk her at least once a day. Nat and I try to take her for two walks when we can, so do that if you get the chance, especially because you haven't got a yard where she can run around like at our place. She likes to cuddle on the couch in the morning. If you watch a movie or something at night, she'll curl up with you then, as well. Oh, and leave the TV or the radio on during the day when you leave the apartment. She doesn't like being left alone, but the noise comforts her."

By the time he finished, Steve was gaping at him. "Clint, your dog is spoiled."

"She is not!" Natasha protested. "She's just well taken care of!"

"I agree!" Bucky nodded.

"Oh, god, what've I gotten myself into?" Steve sighed.

"Okay, we've got to go now," Natasha frowned.

Clint frowned, too, as they both knelt down and hugged Hope goodbye.

Steve blinked fast, still not able to get over how spoiled this dog was. Meanwhile, Bucky was rocking back and forth on his heels, eagerly anticipating Clint and Natasha's departure so that he could spend time with Hope.

It took several minutes for the two of them to get out the door, but at long last they gave Hope one last kiss on the nose and pat on the head and they were off.

Bucky was smiling, ready to finally spend some quality time with the dog — a real, live dog! He'd always wanted a dog of his own, and for the next week and a half he had just that! But he was immediately disappointed when Hope sat down at the door and began to whine.

"Do you think she needs to go out?" Bucky asked Steve.

"No, I think she's just upset that Natasha and Clint are gone," Steve shook his head.

"Oh," Bucky said with a frown.

Steve sighed and patted his boyfriend's shoulder. "Don't worry, Buck. She'll come around to you. Just give her a bit of time, yeah?"

"Yeah," Bucky nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."

That whole first day was one of disappointment for Bucky, though, as Hope just moped about the apartment for the day. She laid in her bed once Bucky had set it out near the couch with her blanket, staring at the door through big, glossy eyes.

Before Steve and Bucky sat down to eat dinner, they set out a bowl of dog food and Hope came over to sniff at it, but then she just turned her nose up at it and returned to the living room.

After dinner, Bucky tried to coax her into going for a walk but she was having none of it and refused to move from her spot.

Then when Steve and Bucky sat down to watch some TV, Bucky called to her, trying to get her to come over and cuddle with them. She just ignored him them.

Hope ignored Bucky's calls again a few hours later when he and Steve were going to bed. She laid there, stubbornly, in her bed.

"She'll warm up to you," Steve told a rather forlorn Bucky before turning out the lights and kissing him goodnight.

Bucky sighed, "I hope so."

In the morning, Bucky woke long before Steve did which was rather out of the ordinary. Usually they both woke up at roughly the same time, but Bucky was up and out of bed and Steve was still fast asleep.

Bucky passed Hope, who was fast asleep in her bad, and frowned. He just wanted to be friends with the dog, but she was having none of it.

He fixed himself a cup of coffee, deciding he'd wait until Steve was up to eat breakfast so they could eat together. He sat down on the sofa with a fuzzy blanket and a good book and sipped his coffee.

He was deeply immersed into the story and enjoying his coffee when he felt a sudden dip in the sofa. There was a sudden pressure on his legs and he slowly looked up to see Hope curled up and staring at him.

"Hi," he said slowly and softly, scared that if he spoke too soon or too loudly he'd scare her away.

She closed her eyes again and continued to doze.

As Bucky finished his coffee, now with a smile that he couldn't seem to wipe off his face, he was very careful not to move. When he was finished, he took a deep breath and decided to take a chance.

"Hope?" He said and her eyes opened slowly. "Do you wanna eat?"

She immediately shot up into a sitting position, head tilted to one side.

Bucky chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes. Come on!"

She leapt off the couch and he quickly followed her. He grabbed the bucket of food and scooped two cups into her food bowl. He filled her water bowl up with the faucet then set them both down.

Hope sniffed the food for several moments, seeming hesitant, but instead of walking away from the food this time she ate it, much to Bucky's satisfaction.

"You were up early today," Steve yawned when he walked into the kitchen. He smiled down at Hope, then to Bucky. "I see you got her to eat, though. That's good."

Bucky beamed. "Yeah," he nodded, kissing Steve. "And I was on the couch having my coffee and reading a book, and she hopped right up and cuddled with me! How great is that?"

"Awesome!" Steve grinned. "See? I told you she'd come round."

After Steve and Bucky had eaten breakfast, Steve suggested they take Hope for a walk. "Sam finally moved here from D.C. and his apartment is only a few blocks away. We should go visit him."

"Good idea," Bucky nodded.

"Hey, Hope," Steve said. "Want to go for a walk?"

She jumped up and ran to the door. Bucky grabbed her harness and hurried to get it on her, then clicked the leash on and they were off!

They got quite a few stares from passersby, but that was to be expected. After all, here they were, Captain America and the Winter Soldier, walking down the street with a dog and looking oh-so-domestic.

"Steve! Bucky!" Sam greeted happily when they arrived at his new apartment. "And...dog?"

"This is Hope," Bucky beamed, scratching behind the dog's ears. "She's, like, pretty much the best dog in the whole world."

"Ah, nice," Sam nodded. "Well, please, come on in."

Once inside, Hope went straight to the living room where she began to investigate all of the house plants. Bucky followed her around while Sam and Steve went to the kitchen to catch up over coffee.

"Bucky seems like he's doing really well," Sam smiled. "Like, I know we've been texting — good job, by the way, you've finally grasped the concept of texting — and you've been telling me how well he's been doing, but actually seeing it is something else."

"Yeah," Steve nodded, unable to keep the grin off his face. "Yeah, he's been...so great. I mean, I've got him back in every way I possibly could. We're back together, which is totally insane. When I found out about all the brainwashing shit that Hydra had done, I was so afraid we'd never get back to this point, but...we're dating. We're living together, we're with each other all the time, and he remembers so much... I didn’t think he'll ever be exactly the way he was before, but neither will I. It's all okay."

You guys are a great couple," Sam nodded. "And, as it would seem, you've gone pretty domestic."

"Hm?"

"A dog?"

"Oh!" Steve said. "Oh, that's not our dog. She's Clint and Natasha's. We're just watching her for a little while. Although Bucky certainly wishes she was our dog. He's fallen in love with her already and we've only had her since yesterday."

"Better watch out," Sam said. "He might try and steal her."

"No kidding," Steve laughed.

Bucky was pleased when Hope ate again that night while he and Steve were eating dinner, but he was even more pleased after dinner.

"Alright, Bucky, I've got something new for us  tonight ," Steve said as he popped a movie into the DVD player. "Sam and Tony have been telling me for months that we need to watch it."

"What is it?" Bucky asked.

"Star Wars," Steve said, sitting down on the sofa and throwing an arm around Bucky.

"What the hell is that?" Bucky furrowed his brows.

"I have no idea," Steve said. "Let's find out."

A moment later, Hope hopped up on the sofa and sprawled herself across both Steve and Bucky. She nuzzled her face against Bucky's legs, closed her eyes, and began to doze off.

"She. Is. So. Cute." Bucky whispered. "I want her."

Steve chuckled. "Sorry, we can't have her. I'm pretty sure Clint and Natasha are going to want her back."

"We could steal her," Bucky said. "We'll have to pack up all of our things and go into hiding in a third world country where no one knows who we are, but we could do it."

"There is no country where no one knows who we are," Steve rolled his eyes playfully "And anyway, it wouldn't matter where we went. If we took their beloved dog and ran away, they would track us down. No doubt, anywhere in the world. They would find us."

"Valid point," Bucky nodded, and then he was quiet for a short while. Steve made to start the movie, but then Bucky spoke up again. "How about we just get our own dog, then?" He suggested eagerly.

"I don't know, Bucky," Steve sighed. "I don't think we're ready to have a dog full time."

  
"Why not?" Bucky raised his eyebrows.

"Our line of work," Steve shook his head. "When we're on missions, we could be gone for days at a time, and there isn't always going to be someone around to look after the dog."

"Clint and Natasha are in the same line of work as we are," Bucky argued.

"Yeah, well, Clint and Natasha have always been a little crazy," Steve sighed. "Actually, they're totally crazy."

"They're not that bad," Bucky shook his head.

"Buck, we're talking about the people who invited Tony to the same wedding you and I were invited to," Steve pointed out.

"Okay, but — "

"And didn't tell us Tony was coming."

"Yeah, but — "

"And didn't tell Tony we were coming."

"But — "

"And this was barely a year after Tony tried to kill you."

"Okay, yes," Bucky said slowly. "A somewhat... _ questionable _ ...decision on their part. But look at how well it turned out! We're friends with Tony now! Aren't we going to have dinner at his place in a few days?"

" _ I'm _ friends with Tony," Steve said. "He tolerates you."

"I'd say toleration is as close to friendship as I'm going to get, given the circumstances." Bucky shrugged. "And that's fine. I'm fine with that. Hell, I never thought there be a time when Tony Stark wasn't trying to kill me but look where we are now. He invited me over for dinner."

"Only because — "

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Bucky rolled his eyes. "Only because he invited you. Details, details."

Steve sighed heavily. "How did we even get to talking about this, anyway?"

"We should get a dog," Bucky said.

"Oh, right," Steve said. "No!" And with that, he scooted Hope off of his lap, got up, and strode off to their bedroom.

Bucky sighed, scratching behind Hope's ears. He sat there with her for a long time, waiting for Steve to come back. Eventually, he realized he wasn't going to so he got up and Hope followed him to the bedroom.

Steve was sat on the bed, pillows propped up against the headboard and a book in his lap. If he noticed Bucky come in then he didn't make any move to acknowledge him.

"Wanna get some sleep?" Bucky asked.

Steve drew a long breath, slowly released it, then closed his book and nodded. He placed the book on the side table without a word and adjusted his pillows so he could lay down while Bucky climbed beneath the covers. Hope hopped onto the bed and laid across their legs as Steve reached and turned the lamp off.

Bucky couldn't help but smile when Steve's arms found their way around his waist and Steve nuzzled his face into the crook of Bucky's neck.

"I love you," Bucky said softly.

"Love you, too," Steve said. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For fighting with you."

Bucky could hardly contain a laugh. "Steve, that was nothing. I wouldn't even call that a fight."

"Still, I don't like arguing with you," Steve said. "So...I'm sorry."

"Me, too," Bucky said.

The next morning, Steve woke up very early, long before Bucky did. He thought this odd since they always woke up at about the same time and just yesterday Bucky had gotten up over an hour before him, but he quickly realized why.

Hope was pacing back and forth beside the bed, whining insistently.

"Do you have to go out?" Steve said.

She sat and tilted her head, then let out a particularly high pitched and drawn out whine.

"Bucky," Steve nudged him. Since he wanted to dog sit so badly, he could get out of bed and take her outside! But he just rolled over and continued to snore lightly. Steve rolled his eyes, groaned in annoyance, then threw the covers back and grabbed Hope's leash. "Come on!"

Later in the day, when Bucky was up, Steve insisted that he would not be getting out of bed to take the dog out to pee that early in the morning anymore. And yet, he somehow found himself getting woken up by the dog the next three days in a row, as well as taking her out to pee.

"For the record," Steve said after it happened for a fifth time. "This is another reason we're not getting a dog."

Bucky crossed his arms and pouted.

"Are you going to be okay leaving her alone  tonight ?" Steve asked as he began to whip omelettes up for them.

"What do you mean?" Bucky widened his eyes, looking a bit frightened.

"We're going to the Avengers Compound for dinner, remember?" Steve said.

"Oh, right," Bucky nodded. "Who's going to be there, again?"

"Tony, Rhodey, Sam, Wanda, Vision, Bruce," Steve said. "I think Scott, and we're all been trying to get Thor to come but we're not so sure it's going to happen. He has yet to give us a definite answer."

"That's...uh...a lot of people," Bucky said, but quickly shook it off and laughed. "Hey, does Vision even eat?"

"No, but he keeps trying to cook," Steve rolled his eyes. 

“Could we take Hope with us?” Bucky asked, suddenly hopeful. “Please?”

Steve considered this. “I’ll have to call Tony and ask him if he’s okay, but if he says yes, then...well, I don’t see why not.”

Bucky grinned. 

Steve called Tony up and Tony said he didn’t mind, so when it was time to head out to the Avengers compound for dinner, Bucky clicked Hope’s leash on and they were off. 

“I’ve got to say,” Tony said when they arrived and his eyes fell on the dog who was sniffing about curiously. “I’m kind of offended that Clint and Natasha didn’t ask me to dog-sit.”

“Are you surprised, though?” Steve raised his eyebrows. 

“ _ Surprised? _ ” Tony said. “No, not at all. Offended is what I said.”

Wanda and Vision emerged from their rooms soon, and not too long after, Sam, Rhodey, and Bruce showed up. Even Thor decided to come, though he was late — he was mercilessly teased for this (“You  _ are  _ a god, aren’t you? Can’t gods tell time? Jeez, Thor, you’re really losing your touch.”).

Bucky avoided people most of the night, as he usually did. It was made much easier tonight, however, by the fact that he had a dog to look after. 

    “You seem to be a lot more relaxed around Bucky tonight,” Steve commented when he caught Tony watched Bucky not with worry or anger, but with soft and interested eyes. 

“Yeah, well…” Tony shrugged. “I think I might finally be coming round to the guy. You were right, Steve, okay? Is that what you want to hear?” He sighed, shaking his head. “You were, though… You were right. He’s a nice guy, and all that shit he did was because of what Hydra did to his brain.”

Steve smiled. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve wanted to hear you say those words,” he said. “Or for how long.”

They stayed silent for a few minutes after that, and then Tony spoke again. “You ought to think about getting him a dog, you know. Seems like he’s fallen in love with Clint and Natasha’s.”

“Yeah, he keeps saying that himself,” Steve sighed, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter. “But we’re just not home enough. Our line of work…” he shook his head. “I don’t know what Clint and Natasha were thinking, getting a dog...getting  _ married _ …”

“They seem to be managing the dog,” Tony said. “And what are you talking about? What’s wrong with them getting married?”

Steve shook his head. “Never mind, Tony,” he said. “You know he hasn’t gotten out of bed early in the morning when the dog has to go outside? Not once. I always have to do it. If we get a dog, that’ll be every day.”

Tony was quiet for a while. He just looked at Steve — well,  _ stared  _ was a better word to use. Then, at long last, he said, “You know they say dogs are great for people who suffer anxiety attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder and all that.”

“I’ll have you know Bucky is doing  _ very well _ ,” Steve glared at him. 

“I’m sure he is,” Tony nodded. “But he’s never going to be a hundred percent back to normal, is he?”

“That’s fine,” Steve snapped. “Neither am I.”

“When’s the last time he had an anxiety attack?” Tony crossed his arms. 

“I don’t even know,” Steve shook his head. “It’s been a while. At least two months.”

“Bullshit,” Tony rolled his eyes. “You’re hell bent on helping him recover as fully — as thoroughly — as you can. I’ll bet you he doesn’t remember exactly when the last anxiety attack was, but you do.”

Steve frowned. 

“Fine, don’t tell me,” Tony said. “It’s been a while, though? That’s good. When was his last nightmare?”

Steve shuffled his feet a bit. He looked a lot more uncomfortable now. “Two weeks ago.”

“That’s not a very long time, Steve,” Tony shook his head.

“Shut up,” Steve huffed. “He used to have them every night. He’s improved so much, he’s come so far.”   


“I’m not saying that he hasn’t,” Tony said. “Clearly he has. But a dog could help him considerably, especially if he’s practically pining for one. They’re amazing creatures, dogs. You’d be surprised what one could do for someone who’s suffered as much as Bucky has. And isn’t that worth getting up at the crack of dawn every morning?”

Steve stayed silent. 

“Couldn’t a dog do  _ you  _ some good?”

Steve raised his eyebrows. “ _ I’m  _ fine.”

Tony snorted. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Capsicle. I don’t think you even know the meaning of the word.”

Steve went to bed that night, pondering over everything Tony had said. Eventually he drifted off and his dreams were  _ weird _ . He couldn’t actually remember them when he woke up, he just recalled them being very strange and filled with dogs. 

For a few moments, he lay there and wondered what had woken him. Judging by the darkness, broken only by the moonlight pouring through the window, it was the middle of the night. They warm weight laying across his feet told him that Hope was still fast asleep. What could it have been… 

A moment later, he realized. Bucky was curled up in a tight ball beside him, shaking violently and whimpering. 

“Buck…” Steve shook him. “ _ Bucky _ .”

Bucky released a long and drawn out whine that progressed into a terrible scream of pain.

Hope shot up and hurried over, sniffing him and licking the side of his face as well as inside his ears. Steve was shaking him harder than ever, “ _ BUCKY! WAKE UP!”  _ he yelped. 

Bucky woke with a jolt, jumping in fright when he saw how close Steve was to his face — it took him a moment to recognize him, but then he did, and he threw his arms around Steve’s neck and embraced him tightly. Hope was still licking his face as his held onto Steve and began to sob. 

“It’s okay, Buck, it’s okay…” Steve said shakily. “It’s okay, I’ve got you…”

Steve couldn’t help but watch the dog. No matter how much Bucky’s body jerked as he sobbed violently, Hope did not move away from him. She stayed and comforted him as best she could. 

It was a long while before Bucky’s choked sobs ceased and Hope curled up behind his knees and laid her head over his legs. Bucky was still shaking in Steve’s arms and Steve hugged him a little tighter, held him a little closer. 

His thoughts were going haywire and he was sure that he wouldn’t be going back to sleep. They were no quieting his mind now, not at the rate his thoughts were going at; racing each other around and around in circles, bouncing off one another and spinning out of control. 

Was the universe messing with him? Or was it just a coincidence that after two weeks of no nightmares, Bucky had a nightmare just hours after Steve and Tony had discussed Bucky’s mental state? Just coincidence that mere hours after Tony told Steve how beneficial a dog could be to Bucky, Hope proved that to be true?

Steve chose not to answer that, because as reluctant as he was to admit it, he was starting to see why it just might be a good idea to get a dog.

When Bucky woke up the next morning, he acted as if the nightmare hadn’t happened at all — and Steve let him, he even played along. Bucky never wanted to talk about the nightmares, he wanted to forget about them — he had lived through the real thing and that had been bad enough without having talk about the stinking nightmares, so Steve let him do what he needed to do. Maybe it wasn’t the healthiest approach, ignoring the things and pretending like they didn’t happen, but Bucky seemed content and that was more than enough for Steve.

Over the next couple days, Bucky seemed to grow sort of depressed. When Steve approached him on the matter, Bucky frowned and said, “Well, it’s just that…Clint and Natasha are going to be back in another couple days. And then we’ll have to give her back.” 

“Oh, Bucky,” Steve sighed and hugged him.

The day before Clint and Natasha were coming home, Bucky went to feed Hope in the morning and found that he was using up the rest of the dog food to do it. 

“We’ll have to run to the pet store today,” Steve said. 

So after breakfast, Steve and Bucky got their shoes on. Hope curled up in her bed and looked at them as if to say, “I’ll stay here, I think.” Bucky turned the radio on and left it playing for her, and then he and Steve were off. 

Ten minutes later, as they two of them were walking into the pet store, Steve said, “Remember, Buck, we’re here to get dog food —  _ not a dog. _ ” He was more determined than ever to hold out on not adopting a dog — if they got a dog now, it would mean that Tony was  _ right  _ and that was plainly unacceptable.

The walked up and down the food aisle, trying to figure out which brand of dog food Clint and Natasha used. 

“This is hopeless, Steve,” Bucky sighed. “We’re never going to figure this out.”

“We’ve got to,” Steve insisted. “If we give that dog the wrong brand of food Natasha will kill us and Clint will dance on our graves.”

Bucky sighed. He really wanted to go visit the dogs in the pet store, but he knew that Steve would protest. He was trying to figure out how to convince Steve to just  _ look at  _ dogs with him when he had a brilliant idea.

“Hey, Steve, I’m going to go get a new bone for Hope,” Bucky said. “Hers is pretty much done.”

Steve nodded. “Okay... Make sure you get the same kind she already has!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Bucky said. He set off, in search of the dogs, and he quickly found them. 

There was about twenty enclosed pens, each holding a different dog. Bucky marveled at how well behaved each of them were — though the pens did not form a total box and many of the dogs were plenty big enough to jump the sides, they did not. They did jump and wag their tails excitedly when they saw him approaching, however. 

“Hi,” he smiled around at all of them. He approached one pen that held a beautifully spotted dalmatian. He put his hand atop the gate and the dalmatian hopped up and put a paw over Bucky’s hand, to his great delight. 

He next approached a pen with a very small dog who was trying desperately to leap up and lick him, but the dog was just too short. Bucky reached his hand down and let the dog lick his hand, tickling his fingers.

Still laughing, Bucky pulled his hand back and went onto the next pen where a great, big, furry dog sat. Its tail was wagging faster than Bucky knew was possible and it stared happily up at Bucky. Bucky reached over the gate and scratched behind the dog’s ear, much to its contentment. 

He moved on, next, to a dog that wasn’t much smaller than Hope was. It was shaggy with dark brown fur and spots of white — one spot was right around one its eyes. Bucky reached over to pet the dog just as he’d done with the large fluffy one, but his hand froze in midair. He stared at the dog, eyes wide and mouth suddenly very dry, and he noticed its front legs — well, front  _ leg _ . The dog was was  _ missing one of its legs _ .

Hand still halfway stretched toward the dog, Bucky slowly looked down at the metal limb that was held at his side. He had lost the arm that Hydra had given him when he battled Tony, but the doctors in Wakanda had fashioned him a new one. It was even more advanced than the one that Tony had blown off, but it still wasn’t the same as having a real, flesh arm. Sometimes he thought that he’d rather go without any left arm at all. 

“Ah, I see you’ve taken a liking to Sergeant,” someone said and Bucky turned to see a short woman dressed in a pet store uniform walking toward him. “He’s been here almost longer than any other dog, poor thing. Most of our dogs get adopted fairly quickly, but he’s been here nearly three years.”

Bucky felt a pang of sympathy deep inside his chest for this. “What — what happened to his leg?” he croaked. “Was he born like that?” he added hopefully.

“I wish it was that,” the woman sighed. “Nearly three years ago, Sergeant ended up in here after we rescued him from an abusive family. They left him tied up outside all the time and the chain they used was much too tight around his leg — it became infected, the infection spread, and when we brought him in, the entire leg had to be surgically removed.”

Bucky was staring at the dog now, mouth agape, hand still stretched halfway there. He was feeling terribly sad for the poor dog, but the dog didn’t look unhappy in the slightest — quite the contrary, actually. The dog was on all three legs, hopping about and wagging his tail excitedly. His tongue was hanging out of the side of his mouth and Bucky thought that the dog’s open mouth looked exactly like a huge grin.

Finally, Bucky reached down and pet the dog, scratching behind his ears and the top of his head. Sergeant closed his eyes and licked Bucky’s hand.

“Do you want to go inside the pen?” the pet store worker asked. 

Bucky looked up with an eager smile. “Can I?”

The woman nodded. “Of course,” she smiled. She opened the gate and gestured for Bucky to go on in. 

Without hesitation, Bucky walked into the pen and sat himself on the floor so that he could be level with Sergeant. “Hi,” he smiled happily, and he scratched behind one of the dog’s ears again. He hesitated for several moments, but then tentatively reached the metal arm toward the dog. 

Sergeant backed away from the mechanical arm at first, and Bucky’s heart plummeted. But then the dog sniffed the metal fingers and gave a great lick. 

Bucky smiled and slowly reached out, petting Sergeant gently with both of his hands. 

“He seems to have taken a liking to you, as well,” the woman who worked at the pet store — who was standing just outside the pen and watching over Bucky and Sergeant with a smile — said in a warm voice. “Are you looking to adopt a dog today?” 

“Well, I’d love to, but…” Bucky began, but he didn’t get a chance to finish as Sergeant chose that moment to pounce in top of him, pinning him to the floor and licking his face. 

Bucky was reduced to a fit of laughter as the dog licked him happily and with no sign of stopping anytime soon. 

Meanwhile, Steve was wandering about the store with a gigantic bag of dog food held in his arms. “Bucky?” He called. “Bucky? Where are you?”

He wandered up and down the aisles of dog toys and treats, but couldn’t seem to spot his boyfriend anywhere. He spotted a woman in a work uniform standing by the pens of dogs but there was no sign of Bucky. 

“Excuse me, miss?” Steve walked up to the woman. “I’m looking for my boyfriend. Has anyone been by here? He’s got sort of long hair and — ”

“A metal arm?” the woman asked. 

“Er — yes, actually,” Steve nodded. “So...you  _ have  _ seen him?’

The woman smiled and nodded toward the pen she was standing nearest to.

Steve furrowed his brows in confusion, but peered over the gate and found that Bucky was indeed there. He was on the ground, laughing hysterically, with a dog on top of him. The dog was licking his face and Bucky was smiling like Steve hadn’t seen him smile in a very long time. 

“Hi — Steve — ” Bucky choked out through his laughter. 

Steve was shaking his head, with a small and fond smile on his head. “Bucky, we’ve got to get — ” he stopped talking abruptly when he noticed that the dog was missing one of its legs. 

Bucky’s smile was brighter than Steve had seen it since they were kids living in Brooklyn… 

_ Damn, Tony was right,  _ Steve thought, and though he sighed, he couldn’t help but smile widely as he turned to the employee who was still smiling down at Bucky and the spotted dog. “What’s your adoption fee here?” he asked. 

So while Bucky continued to lay on the floor, laughing and playing with Sergeant and completely oblivious to the fact that Steve was walking away with the woman who’d let him into the dog pen, Steve paid sixty five dollars at the counter to adopt the dog. He spent more on a leash and a collar; he picked out food and toys and treats; he got two dog bowls, also, for food and water; he searched to find the softest dog bed, and he found the  _ perfect _ blanket (it had an American flag printed on it); he had dog tags made with the dog’s name and his and Bucky’s address; and finally, he couldn’t resist getting an American flag bandana to tie around Sergeant’s neck.

Steve had a couple of employees help him bring most of his purchases out to his car, then went back inside the store.

“Here you are,” the woman who had let Bucky into the dog pen said (Steve noticed her name tag said Sandrine) as she handed over a small stack of papers. “There are all your adoption papers and a recommendation to the vet we use. And that’s it! Sergeant is officially yours!”

“Thank you so much,” Steve beamed. “This is going to make my boyfriend happier than I’ve seen him in a long time.”

“Oh, no, sir,” Sandrine grinned. “Thank  _ you _ . I was beginning to think we’d never find a good home for Sergeant.”

Steve smiled back and nodded. He turned to walk away and go tell Bucky that they had officially adopted a dog, but then the woman stopped him.

“Sir, wait!” She said and Steve turned back to her. “You are —  _ Captain America _ — aren’t you?”

“Oh, uh, yes,” Steve nodded. 

“And that — that is to say — your boyfriend — he’s James Barnes, isn’t he?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Steve nodded, looking a tad apprehensive now. 

But then Sandrine grinned widely at him. “Good. I’m happy for the two of you. I mean, there’s really no one else who’s gone through what the two of you have gone through, so… I’m really happy for you. I hope I’m not stepping out of line, saying all this.”

“No, not at all,” Steve shook his head, smiling brightly. “Thank you.”

They nodded to one another, smiling, then Steve turned and made his way over to the dog pens. “Bucky,” he said, leaning over the gate. “Come on. Time to go home.”

Bucky sat up, sighing heavily, and Sergeant sat down beside him and whined at the sudden lack of attention. “Do we have to?” Bucky asked. 

“Yes,” Steve said and he was smiling. 

Bucky sighed again as he stood up. “What’s that?” He asked curiously, spotting the collar, leash, and American flag bandana that Steve had in his hands. 

Steve smiled mischievously. “Well…”

Bucky wasn’t catching on in the slightest. He still looked at Steve in puzzlement. 

“Bucky, we’re getting a dog,” Steve said. 

Bucky’s eyebrows shot up, his mouth fell open, and his eyes looked as if they were going to fall right out of their sockets. “Are you serious?! Wait, seriously?! Steve, if this is joke, I’ll never forgive you!”

Steve laughed. “It’s not a joke, I swear!”

“OH MY GOD!” Bucky exclaimed. 

“Here,” Steve said, still laughing and grinning. He handed the collar over and Bucky fastened it around Sergeant’s neck, then he gave him the bandana. 

Bucky chuckled. “Only you would pick  _ this  _ bandana out,” he said in a way that was caught halfway between fondness and teasing. 

“Wait until you see the blanket,” Steve grinned as Bucky clicked the leash into place. 

“Do we really get to take him home? Just like that? Have you got all the paperwork? What about food? Treats? Toys? A bed?”

Steve laughed. “Yes, yes. I’ve sorted all of that out, everything we need is in the car.”

“Jeez, how long was I in that dog pen for?” Bucky asked. 

“A long time,” Steve snorted. 

“Have a nice day!” Sandrine waved to them as they walked by.

“Bye!” Bucky and Steve both waved. “Thank you!”

“Anytime, boys!” Sandrine smiled. 

That night, after dinner, Steve and Bucky decided they were finally going to watch Star Wars since the last time they had set out to do so their argument had ruined it. 

Steve popped the movie into the DVD player then turned to go to the couch and cuddle with his boyfriend only to find that not one, but two dogs had beaten him to it. 

Bucky shrugged. “Sorry.”

Steve just shook his head with a laugh and plopped down beside Hope. 

The next morning Steve and Bucky were awoken not by one barking dog who had to pee, nor were they awoken by  _ two  _ barking dogs who had to pee. No, they were awoken by very loud banging on their front door at five in the morning (which, of course, was followed by the sound of two barking dogs).

Steve and Bucky rolled out of bed with irritated sighs and heavy, tired groans. They shuffled through the sitting room and to the front door. Steve wrenched it open. 

“Hi, we’re back!” Clint said cheerfully. 

“I want my dog,” Natasha snapped irritably. 

“Alright, alright,” Steve said. “Come on in.”

Natasha, however, was already pushing past him before he was done speaking. “Hope! Hey… That’s not Hope.”

“Ah, no,” Bucky said, suddenly wide awake and grinning excitedly. “That’s Sergeant. He’s  _ our  _ dog.”

“Aw, you caved, Steve?” Clint said. Natasha, however, made no comment as she had now spotted Hope and had rushed to her, dropping to her knees and hugging her tightly. 

“Yeah, well, I — wait a second,” Steve said. “You’ve been away for a week and a half. How did  _ you  _ know — ”

Clint laughed. “Well, see, I was in touch with Tony a couple of days ago and he told me all about the whole dilemma. From what I understand, some people are going to lose quite a bit of money over a bet that was made on the matter?”

“Oh, really?” Steve crossed his arms and gave Clint a pointed look. “And how did you come to understand such a thing?”

“Well, you see,  _ I  _ have just  _ made  _ quite a bit of money on this bet,” Clint beamed proudly while Steve rolled his eyes. 

“Well, we’ll pack up all her things,” Natasha said as she stood up. “We really need to get home. We’ve got a very long and very important nap planned for today.”

“Oh, yes,” Clint nodded. “It’s been a very long week and a half.”

“Oh, and Tony wanted us to tell you that we’re all expected at the compound tonight,” Natasha said. “He and Pepper are hosting a dinner tonight. Don’t know why exactly, he says they’ve got some sort of really big announcement for all of us. Guess we’ll see you there?”

“Yeah, see you,” Steve nodded as they were heading out the door. 

“Bring Hope with you!” Bucky called after them. 

Steve turned to him with a smile. “We’re bringing Sergeant?”

Bucky grinned. “We’re bringing Sergeant.”

So that evening they showed up at the Avengers Compound with Sergeant who immediately rushed to run around and play with Hope. 

“Steven! James! It’s wonderful to see you!” Thor boomed, then he got very close to both of them and dropped his voice to a very soft whisper. “You wouldn’t happen to have any idea why Tony has invited as all here tonight? What he has to announce?”

“No clue,” Steve shook his head. 

Everyone was asking around, trying to figure out why they were all there. Thor, Vision, and Bruce were deep in conversation over it; Steve, Bucky, Clint, and Natasha were all joking about what it could be, coming up with completely preposterous scenarios just to entertain themselves; Wanda and Sam kept trying to bully some information out of Rhodey but he kept insisting that he didn’t know a thing. 

They all sat down together in the sitting room and ate dinner, the dogs coming by frequently — trying to snatch food off their plates, and even straight out of their mouths. 

And then, at long last, the moment they had all been waiting for arrived. 

Tony and Pepper both stood up. “Well, as you all know, we’ve brought you here tonight to make a very big announcement. As you all know, Pepper and I have definitely had our rough spots — ”

“You could say that again,” Pepper snorted. 

“ — but now, here we stand,” Tony said smiling. “Together… And I could not be happier. I could not announce this with any more pride or — or pure  _ elation _ . Pepper and I…” he took her hand in his own and looked at her with such wonder, such admiration, “...are getting married.”

The room erupted into loud cheers and applause, screeches and congratulations. Everyone started to jumping up to hug them — except for Bucky. 

Bucky looked to Steve with a huge grin and the a look in his eyes that Steve knew all too well — it was the same look that had been there when he first suggested they adopt a dog. 

**“Oh, no,” Steve sighed. **


End file.
